Photo By Jerome Mapp | Fort Bragg families, friends, and neighbors walk a mile-long distance around Womack...... read more read more
FORT BRAGG, N.C. — An estimated 115 families, neighbors, and friends from Fort Bragg and the surrounding communities gathered at Womack Army Medical Center’s (WAMC) Riley Road entrance October 15 to memorialize the babies and infants who die each year from miscarriage, stillbirth, neonatal death, and other causes of infant mortality.
WAMC’s Department of Ministry and Pastoral Care (DMPC) and the Addressing Grief and Pursuing Enrichment (AGAPE) support group hosted the 19th annual ceremony and walk to support the national observance of October as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. Dozens of families came out to support the event that featured a harpist, resource tables, and a memorial walk to cap the event.
Chaplain (LTC) Sang Joon “Tim” Won, WAMC’s senior chaplain, told the assembled crowd that hosting this event means that the Fort Bragg community will forever remember the young lives lost and will continue to embrace the grieving loved ones.
“Womack’s Department of Ministry and Pastoral Care has sponsored this event for the past 19 years. We are committed to helping you remember the babies you have lost, and we want to do it with dignity and respect,” Won said.
COL Paul Johnson, WAMC’s chief nursing officer, noted that on October 25, 1988, then-President Ronald Reagan designated October as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. Many years later, October 15 was designated as the national Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day.
“Across the country, thousands of families are gathering today to remember, grieve, and bring awareness to the care and support needed by those who have experienced the loss of a baby,” Johnson said. “Whether this is your first walk or you have walked before, we honor you, as well as the memory of those babies gone too soon.”
Following messages from the WAMC leadership, the audience was invited to begin the estimated mile-long walk around the medical center. Along the way, they stopped at three places: the designated place of remembrance, the place of reconciliation, and the place of peace.
According to Chaplain (CPT.) Dawn Taylor, chaplain clinician at WAMC and the event organizer, the three places are a significant part of the ceremony because they allow grieving families to reflect on the anger and pain of losing a baby or infant and come to terms with their emotions.
“The place of remembrance provides an opportunity to acknowledge and remember the estimated one in four individuals and families whose lives are forever altered by the death of a child. The place of reconciliation acknowledges the anger that some participants may feel and provides an opportunity for them to reflect on those with whom they may need to reconcile. The place of peace enables participants to contemplate the hope, love, and healing that may be discovered by some,” Taylor said.
Sergeant Ikimba Fergus, assigned to the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, marched for the first time with his wife Bria and young son Amias at his side. The family carried a sign that immortalized the life and death of their daughter Giana Grace, who died in June 2021.
“We’re here to remember Giana Grace,” Fergus said. “We lost our baby in June at just 38 weeks old.”
As the families concluded the walk and regrouped in front of WAMC, Chaplain (COL) Julie Rowan, the Fort Bragg garrison chaplain, related her own pain of losing a baby, referring to the grief as a moment of chaos that must be tempered with encouragement from the Bible.
“Let us accept His (God’s) peace and experience that great calm,” Rowan said. “We must move from the chaos to the calm, despite the storm. Be encouraged!”
Taylor said that the event was held to honor the losses experienced by the families, and it recognizes the community partners, healthcare professionals, and hospital staff who stand side-by-side with families to walk with them through their grief.
“I hope the walk serves as a reminder to our families that we have not forgotten them,” Taylor said. Additionally, it allows families to connect with others who understand their loss and heartache. I hope the night serves as a reminder to them that they are not alone. Many others are traveling the same path.”
Taylor called grief a long, complex journey that everyone experiences. Work, school, and countless other demands on a family’s time and attention make it simple to divert attention away from the sadness.
“As a chaplain, I am well aware of the spiritual turmoil that typically follows a child's death. I often encounter families who feel guilty about the anger they feel towards God,” Taylor said. “I believe God understands our anger. I encourage families not to feel guilty, but to be honest with God about their anger and frustration through prayer or journal writing.”
| Date Taken: | 11.09.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 11.09.2021 16:41 |
| Story ID: | 409056 |
| Location: | FORT BRAGG, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 260 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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